Can Dylan Stewart have a better season than Jadeveon Clowney did in 2012?
——This is part of a summer series. Leading up to the start of South Carolina’s 2025 season, The State is answering 25 of the most interesting questions surrounding the Gamecocks football team. This is No. 2 ——
Dylan Stewart posted a picture on Monday staring at the man he’s chasing.
The problem is, there’s some camera trickery going on. Not any AI funny business, but a depth-perception illusion that makes the 6-foot-5, 245-pound South Carolina sophomore look small next to a man who’s got him by 20 pounds, but measures the same height.
But perhaps that’s the way it should be for now. That, yes, Stewart should be looking up to Jadeveon Clowney. Learning from him.
The coolest part of the picture Stewart posted to his Instagram was not the fact that the duo was together, but that Clowney looked to be teaching his 19-year-old clone. And that thought triggers two others, the first of a nostalgic trip back to Clowney mauling offensive linemen in college and, secondly, the idea that Stewart could somehow learn more.
Stewart, a five-star recruit from the Washington, D.C., area, pretty much looked like a finished product last season. His coaches will tell you differently. There’s always improvements — technique, details, consistency ... yada, yada, yada.
That’s probably true, but it didn’t seem to matter last year. Rare was it that an opponent was able to contain Stewart with just one blocker — or, rather, one blocker who wasn’t yanking on Stewart’s jersey every play.
By season’s end, he racked up 10.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and three forced fumbles — just narrowly falling short of Clowney’s freshman records from 2011 (12 TFLs, 8 sacks, 5 forced fumbles). But Clowney did not become the best defensive player in Gamecocks history or the top pick of the 2014 NFL Draft because of 2011. No, that all came because of 2012.
The greatest defensive season by a Gamecock — that ended with the greatest single defensive play — was Clowney’s sophomore campaign, when he racked up 54 tackles, 13 sacks, 24 TFLs and a sixth-place Heisman finish.
With that 2012 season, Clowney went from the five-star all-everything recruit who had a nice freshman season to unquestionably the best defensive player in America. Double teams turned to triple teams. Talk of his greatness turned to chatter of historic.
And that now is what Stewart is chasing.
Back in late November, as Stewart was finalizing a freshman season that felt a lot like one from 13 years earlier, Clowney talked to The State about Stewart, about the advice he’d share.
“Just stay strong and stay the course,” he said. “Don’t get too big-headed, as far as how you come off. People are gonna start paying some attention to you, so just stay on that grind phase. And enjoy that process.”
That process now will include Clonwey, which only adds to the confidence that if Stewart can’t replicate that rare air of 2012, he’ll get close.
25 questions for the 2025 season:
No. 25 — What South Carolina positions have the most question marks heading into season?
No. 24 — A Gamecocks victory over Va. Tech would be biggest season-opening win since when?
No. 23 — How will South Carolina’s QB room shake out in 2025 and beyond?
No. 22 — If USC beat Bama or LSU in ’24, would national conversation be different right now?
No. 21 — Can the Gamecocks’ offensive line take a step forward in 2025?
No. 20 — What former South Carolina football player will get his jersey retired next?
No. 19 — Can South Carolina get to the LSU game undefeated?
No. 18 — Will Fred Johnson be South Carolina’s next great LB?
No. 17 — What’s the most important stretch in USC’s 2025 schedule?
No. 16 — Can South Carolina’s defense stay elite despite all its roster turnover?
No. 15 — What South Carolina school records could be broken in 2025?
No. 14 — What’s the ceiling for USC’s running backs, with or without Rahsul Faison?
No. 13 — Can South Carolina’s special teams get back to Beamer Ball standard?
No. 12 — Have Gamecocks found right balance of high school football talent, transfers?
No. 11 — How will Shane Beamer go viral this year with South Carolina?
No. 10 — Is South Carolina too young at wide receiver?
No. 9 — Is this South Carolina’s easiest schedule in the Shane Beamer era?
No. 8 — Will there be noticeable changes in Mike Shula’s offense at South Carolina?
No. 7 — Can South Carolina football stay relatively healthy again in 2025?
No. 6 — Is this the last year for Williams-Brice Stadium as we know it?
No. 5 — What does a path to the playoff look like for South Carolina?
No. 4 — What happens if South Carolina football is no longer an underdog?
No. 3 — How would a 10-win season in 2025 shape Shane Beamer’s legacy in Columbia?
No. 2 — Can Dylan Stewart have a better season than Jadeveon Clowney did in 2012?
No. 1 — Can LaNorris Sellers become the best QB in South Carolina history?
This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
